Geneva, Switzerland -

This year bike to some of the hidden mansions in Champel or discover the lost trees of the quartier de St. Jean.

On Sundays discover the quartier des artistes, hidden gardens in Geneva and more.

There is no fee but it is recommended to sign up to reserve a spot.

There are usually English speakers in the group. Most of the bike rides are open for those 14 and up.

Saturdays by bike, Sundays by foot.

Links to: Samedies du vélo, and Dimanches au pied.

Don’t forget the sunscreen and a raincoat!

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New route to include small comunes in canton Geneva - click to enlarge

Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Prepare to run for a cause! The Geneva Marathon for Unicef, which until now has been staged around the city, has been re-routed to include ten communes in canton Geneva.

In 2010, Benjamin Chandelier, director of the Geneva marathon, said to GenevaLunch that the Organizing Committee wanted to introduce “a single 42km-loop for marathon runners” to attract international marathoners and make it one of the top-15 European marathons by 2015.

Marathon organizers have successfully taken the first step towards that goal and the 2011 race, taking place on 14 and 15 May proves so. The race will begin in Chene-Bourg and will then travel  through the surrounding towns of Thonex, Choulex, Puplinge, Presinge, Jussy, Gy, Meinier, Collonge-Bellerive and Cologny before returning to the city and convening near the Palais Wilson.

The marathon was given a fresh lease on life in 2010 through a partnership with Unicef when it raised CHF25,000 for water pump projects.

If you are new in town here are a few pointers: the competition is open to all, including children, which makes it ideal for families and a great way to make new friends.

Don’t like running? Sign-up to volunteer; in 2010 over 600 people met up to help stage the run. Children/teens can participate both as athletes and volunteers.

Get your sneakers ready!

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Video of the Geneva Marathon for Unicef 2010

Ice skating in Lausanne - Photo ©Ville de Lausanne

Geneva and Lausanne, Switzerland – The open air skating rinks (ice- and roller-skating) are now a go for Geneva and Lausanne.

The Lausanne outdoor ice skating rinks have been operating since mid-October and will be open into early March 2011:

• Malley, chemin du Viaduc 14, CHF7 adults, CHF3.50 kids
• Montchoisi, av. du Servan 30, CHF7 adults, CHF3.50 kids
• La Pontaise, route des Plaines-du-Loup 11 (no ice skate rental available), CHF5.50 adults, CHF3 kids

Geneva outdoor ice skating rinks also promise fun for all until early March 2011:

• Bastions Park, free entry, skates rental CHF2, until 27 February
• Meyrin, CHF2 kids (17 and under), CHF5 adults
• Sous-Moulin in Thonex, CHF3 kids (16 and under), CHF5 adults

In addition to these there are several indoor ice skating rinks in Geneva, and two outdoor roller skating rinks now open to the public: Charmilles and Vernets.

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Which way to go? - Photo Plinio Galeano

Geneva, Switzerland – The skies are gray, the sort of perpetual gray that sets over Geneva each fall making you want to—hike?

If you are new to the region you have probably heard others say that “once you get out of Geneva the skies are blue.” Well, it is true!

Kick those blues away: grab some peanuts, get your light hikers out and discover evergreen trees up to 500 years old, Alpine gardens, terraced vineyards and even a “celestial world.”

The Swiss tourism office has a list of autumnal walks in the Lake Geneva region, and if you want to go further afield, you can tell their site’s database how long you want to walk and where, with all hikes rated from easy to difficult. Some include visiting castles, so there’s a bit for everyone in the family, and lots of space for your four-legged friend to run.

Another very useful source of information is the SwitzerlandMobility Foundation, which provides an excellent online collection of maps and information for local, regional and national hiking trails, starting with the local Geneva-La Plaine and La Plaine-Satigny hikes.

Accommodation and public transport information is provided and the best news is: it’s all in English as well as French, German and Italian.

Enjoy the sun!

Creux du Van in Neuchatel is part of the Jura Crests hiking trail, not far from Geneva (photo, ©2010 SwitzerlandMobility)

Start with small hikes and work your way up to the TransSwiss trail! (photo, ©2010 SwitzerlandMobility)

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Geneva Servette Hockey Club defeats Zug 5 April (photo, ©Piotr Sweck/GSHC)

Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Fun-and-free activities are popping up this weekend in Geneva and I can’t help but share them with GL readers.

On one side of the city: skaters, sticks and a puck; on the other, a huge flea-market and street fair; and a mountain biking competition in the middle of town!

Geneva ice hockey team announces free pre-season game

The Geneve-Servette ice hockey team is hosting its last friendly of the pre-season, and celebrating that their season tickets are selling at record pace, by giving free entry to all children under 16 years of age. Adults (17 and over) will only have to pay CHF10 per ticket.

The game is on 5 September at 16:00 at Sous-Moulin (Trois-Chênes) against the Rögle BK, a Swedish professional ice hockey club.

Tickets go on sale on 4 September from 10:00 to 12:00, or right before the game on 5 September.

Mountain biking in the Old Town

Pedal through the cobbled streets of the Old Town and race down to Bastions Park, or simply watch others do it. The Grand Prix VTT takes place Saturday 4 September starting at 15:00 with a kid’s race, followed by the women’s competition and closing with the Grand Prix at 18:30.

Registration is open to all. Or just enjoy the day watching the dare-devils race down the steep cobbled streets of Geneva.

Street fair and flea market

After a summer break, the Ville-est-a-vous returns. This time the party is in Jonction. Music, food and a 10-streets flea market open to all characterizes this huge street fair.

Only two more fairs remain, Champel on 18 September, and the mother of all neighborhood parties: the Rue-est-a-vous in Paquis on 18 and 19 September.

Enjoy Geneva this weekend!

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Geneveroule stand in Geneva

Geneva, Switzerland – For the next 30 days, the city of Geneva is loaning electric bicycles – for free – to everyone who wants to take them for a spin.

A Geneveroule bike-loan booth is located in the intersection of Avenue Wendt and Rue de la Servette and is open seven days a week, from 09:00 to 19:00

The city is encouraging residents to test the electric bikes as an alternative to scooters and motorcycles.

How to get your bike for the day

• Fill out a form at the Genèveroule booth

• Bring a picture ID
• Leave a CHF100 deposit
• Return the bike before closing or a CHF2/hr late-fee will be assessed

For more information contact the city’s department of urban development at +41 22 418 20 70

Remember Geneveroule loans bike for free, or at a very low cost all year round.

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Last few days of sales

Geneva, Switzerland – There are two great reasons to shop this week: air conditioning and an 80% discount on selected items at your favorite store.

The picture on your left, says it all. Hot shopping in a cooooool spot.

The last few days of summer sales in Geneva (and across Switzerland) are this week. If you read this late and you’ve missed the sales, you might still catch those in neighboring France where summer sales continue until 11 August.

Happy shopping!

Men on bikes chasing a ball

Those of you not in the shops and out on the streets: what do you call a guy with a long-handled mallet, a small ball, and a bicycle?

At least this weekend, you can call him a European-cup bike-polo player.

I miss my football World Cup so I had to quickly think about another Cup that I could shift my attention to, and I found it: the European bike polo championship which takes place in Geneva on 17 and 18 July.

Images explain what Velo Polo, as it’s called in French, is all about. This video produced by TSR Nuovo, shows a Geneva-based group that trains every Tuesday under La Praille bridge.

Here’s how it works.

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Picnic and bikes at the botanical gardens

Geneva and Lausanne, Switzerland – Rain is threatening to break a streak of sunny days and wide open blue skies, but don’t let a few drops keep you in as there’s plenty to do this weekend, and for free! Here are my selections.

Saturday 1 May:

• The first Saturday of each month means one thing in Lausanne; free museum entry for all. What better way to avoid the rain than by soaking in a bit of free art and culture?
• Also ’tis is the flea-market season. In Vernier, Canton Geneva, a community flea market takes place on 1 May from 12:00 to 20:00.
• If Geneva is a tad far away for you, look in our events page for flea-markets in the “la côte” area of Vaud.
• Do you like outdoor sports but prefer watching others? How about cheering the cyclists participating in the Tour de Romandie. Fun for kids and grown ups alike.
• Carouge is also a happening place this weekend, hosting Carouge en Cirque which ends on 2 May.
• What do you get when you mix children, pigs, and races? Free Fun! That’s this weekend in Jussy, Canton Geneva. What could be better entertainment for the rug-rats on a rainy day that seeing pigs race?

Sunday 2 May

• Free entry to all temporary exhibits of the Geneva city museums. Entry to permanent collections is free all year round but on the first Sunday of the month, the temporary exhibits are also free. A recommendation for children: Darwin and the living tree, an interactive exhibit at the natural history museum.
• If the weather stays nice, remember the barcelonettes by the Geneva shore attract thousands of visitors on Sunday, so does the botanical gardens.
• Catch the last day of the Cropettes Park festival in les Grottes; music, food, outdoor films, etc.

Not free but, in my opinion, worth every centime:

• Pinocchio’s story told by puppets. Even if you or your little ones don’t speak that much French, puppet language is universal.
• The 2nd Swiss Open Championship 2010 Acrobatic Gymnastics at the Bois-de-freres sports center in Chatelaine.
• The World Circus Geneva 2010 in Chene-Bourg on 2 May.

Have a great, fun, free weekend!

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Great outdoor entertainment for all

Geneva, Switzerland – The warm season is upon us which can only mean one thing: it is time to take yourself and your family outdoors. Switzerland is a great place for outdoor activities but with so much to do it can get difficult to navigate through all the information available.

No worries, the Swiss office of tourism has laid out a listing that lets you pick a region, say the Alps or Geneva, level of difficulty and time requirement, (among other criteria), to help you fully enjoy your Swiss experience.

You may decide you want to combine hiking and dining, or touring a specific region while someone else carries your luggage. It doesn’t matter what your cuppa tea is, this is your one-stop site for everything you always wanted to know about hiking and trekking but were too afraid to ask!

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In addition, find out what else is up in the Lake Geneva region through my Twitter channel.

A mix of snow and sun on the Valais

Valais, Switzerland – The Crans-Montana ski and music festival known as the Caprices Festival is the place to be, to see and to be seen this weekend. If you are one of those white-powder-and-ski lovers, or simply are looking to do something cool this weekend, then this is for you.

The Caprices offers one last chance to enjoy the snow-sweet-snow, before unwinding post-ski with a beer or a glass of wine and listening to some of the grooviest music around. The festival is a hang-out for a younger crowd that wants to enjoy music, sun and snow.

And if you really want to make an impression with the socialites, check out Chanel’s Swiss hand-crafted skis in compressed cherry-wood and azure stain. If money is no object, they sure would look lovely with your snow bunny outfit.

If you are not up to hanging out with the hipster crowd, check out the forty-odd other still “skiable” slopes around Switzerland. Take advantage of the SBB snow’n'rail offers and remember to stay on “piste” to avoid triggering avalanches which are a common occurrence at this point in the season.

Sunday is the return day for thousands of Genevans who took off during school holidays, thus taking the train will help you beat the highway rush.

Bon skiing!

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Give us some feedback! Did you go skiing this weekend? Let us know, share your comments below.